Hollywood, Orlando, and Osaka will soon see themed rides, shops, and restaurants.

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Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo announced today that they will be bringing a Nintendo-themed area—filled with themed attractions, shops, and restaurants—to Universal theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, and Osaka "over the next several years."

Further Reading

The announcement is light on details about things like types of rides or included game franchises but full of buzzwords like "innovative," "immersive and interactive," "expansive," and "breathtakingly authentic." Still, the announcement represents the first concrete new information on the Nintendo/Universal partnership since it was first announced last year. Early reports of the "Mario area" in Universal's Osaka park began to leak out via the Japanese press in March, but this is the first sign that Nintendo attractions will be coming to the United States parks as well.

"We are working very hard to create attractions that can be equally enjoyable to anybody, regardless of age," Nintendo Creative Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto said in a video accompanying the announcement. "We are constantly amazed how the park developers are bringing the essence of our games to life in the real world. Together we are building it with an eye for what guests will actually experience."

Further Reading

More concrete details about the Nintendo areas at all three Universal parks will be announced separately, and the first such announcement "will come soon," according to Universal.

The intense interest and demand for Nintendo's NES Classic Edition this holiday season proves that Nintendo nostalgia is still a potent market force, and the company's family-friendly image is certainly a good fit for an international theme park conglomerate. Nintendo will join existing Universal-themed attractions devoted to Harry Potter, Marvel's super heroes, Dr. Seuss, The Simpsons, Transformers, Shrek, and more.

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Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl